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Forbidden fruit
Forbidden fruit is a phrase that originates from the concerning the by in . In the narrative, Adam and Eve eat the fruit of in the , which they had been commanded not to do by . As a metaphor, the phrase typically refers to any indulgence or pleasure that is considered illegal or immoral. by Jan Brueghel de Oude and }} Biblical narrative The narrative of the places the first man and woman ( ) in a where they may eat the fruit of many trees but are forbidden by God to eat from the "tree of Jared, Cain, and Abel which is the tree of Eve". }} In Genesis 3, a serpent tempts the woman: }} Desiring this wisdom, the woman eats the forbidden fruit and gives some to the man who also eats it. They become aware of their "nakedness" and make fig-leaf clothes, and hide themselves when God approaches. God curses The Serpent, The Woman then The Man, and expels the Man and Woman from the garden and thereby from eternal life. Identifications and depictions The word fruit appears in Hebrew as פֶּ֫רִי (pərî ). As to which fruit may have been the forbidden fruit of the , possibilities include apple, grape, pomegranate, , , or , , and . The describes the tree of knowledge: "It was like a species of the tree, bearing fruit which resembled s extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance. I exclaimed, How beautiful is this tree, and how delightful is its appearance!" ( 31:4). An alternative view is that the forbidden fruit is metaphorical, possibly the fruit of the womb, i.e. sex and procreation from the tree of life. In his , Hindu spiritual teacher Paramhansa Yogananda cites an interpretation by his master that the Garden of Eden refers to man's body, with the fruit in the center being that of the sexual organs. Apple In , the fruit was often depicted as an . This was possibly because of a misunderstanding of – or a pun on – , a native noun which means evil (from the adjective ), and mālum, another Latin noun, borrowed from Greek μῆλον, which means apple. In the , describes the tree as de ligno autem scientiae boni et mali : "but of the tree [literally wood ] of knowledge of good and evil" (mali here is the of malum). The , specifically the that joins the , in the is noticeably more prominent in and was consequently called an , from a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit getting stuck in Adam's throat as he swallowed it. Grape says that the fruit was a grape, made into wine. The explains similarly that attempted (but failed) to rectify the sin of Adam by using grape wine for holy purposes. The midrash of Bereishit Rabah states that the fruit was grape, or squeezed grapes (perhaps alluding to wine). Chapter 4 of 3 Baruch, also known as the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, designates the fruit as the grape. 3 Baruch is a first to third century text that is either Christian or Jewish with Christian interpolations. Fig The Bible states in the book of Genesis that Adam and Eve had made their own fig leaf clothing: "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles". Based on that reference, the forbidden fruit may have been the fig. Rabbi , based on the Talmud, supports the idea that the fruit was a , as it was from fig leaves that God made garments for Adam and Eve upon expelling them from the Garden. "By that with which they were made low were they rectified." Since the fig is a long-standing symbol of female sexuality, it enjoyed a run as a favorite understudy to the apple as the forbidden fruit during the . The most famous depiction of the fig as the forbidden fruit was painted by in his masterpiece fresco on the . Pomegranate Proponents of the theory that the Garden of Eden was located somewhere in what is now known as the Middle East suggest that the fruit was actually a , a plant indigenous from Iran to the Himalayas and cultivated since ancient times. The association of the pomegranate with knowledge of the underworld as provided in the Ancient Greek legend of Persephone may also have given rise to an association with knowledge of the otherworld, tying-in with knowledge that is forbidden to mortals. Wheat proposes that the fruit was , because "a baby does not know to call its mother and father until it tastes the taste of grain." In Hebrew, wheat is "khitah", which has been considered to be a on "khet", meaning "sin". Although commonly confused with a seed, in the study of a is technically a simple fruit known as a , which has the same structure as an apple. Just as an apple is a fleshy fruit that contains seeds, a grain is a dry fruit that absorbs water and contains a seed. The confusion comes from the fact that the fruit of a grass happens to have a form similar to some seeds. Mushroom A fresco in the 13th-century in France depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, flanking a Tree of Knowledge that has the appearance of a gigantic , a psychoactive mushroom. proposed that the forbidden fruit was a reference to plants and , specifically , which he theorized played a central role in the of the human brain. Earlier, in a well-documented and heavily criticized study, proposed the mushroom as the forbidden fruit. Theft of fire : From Wikipedia: Theft of fire }} The theft of fire for the benefit of humanity is a theme that recurs in many world . Examples include: Africa * In it is narrated how after Obassi Osaw, a creator god, refused to give fire to humanity, a boy stole it and taught humanity how to use it. America * Among various Native American tribes of the and , fire was stolen and given to humans by Coyote, Beaver or Dog. * In myth, Rabbit stole fire from an old man and his two daughters. * In myth, after Possum and Buzzard had failed to steal fire, Grandmother Spider used her web to sneak into the land of light. She stole fire, hiding it in a clay pot. * According to a legend, the spread fire to humanity. Fire fell from a star and an old woman kept if for herself. The opossum took fire from the old woman and carried the flame on its tail, resulting in its hairlessness. * According to the /Creeks, Rabbit stole fire from the Weasels. * In myth, the hare stole fire and gave it to humans. * According to some Yukon people, Crow stole fire from a volcano in the middle of the water. Eurasia * According to the (3:9.5), the hero recovered fire, which had been hidden from humanity. * In , according to Hesiod (Theogony, 565-566 and Works & Days, 50) and Pseudo-Apollodorus (Bibliotheca, 1.7.1), Titan steals the heavenly fire for humanity, enabling the progress of civilization. * In the , the fallen angels and teach early humanity to use tools and fire. * In one of the versions of myth, stole fire from , who refused to share it – and knowledge of creating it – with other humans. * The hero brought fire to mankind and was chained to as punishment. * In Norse mythology, gains the secret of fire from an eagle in exchange for the hams and shoulders of sacrificed oxen. Oceania * In myth, stole fire from the Mudhens. * In the mythology of the people of Australia, it was the who stole the secret of fire from the women. Parallel concepts Ancient Greeks The similarities of the story to the story of were identified by early Christians such as , , and . Other views Islamic traditions According to the , Surah 7:19 describes }} and his wife in where they may eat what is provided, except that they may not eat from one particular , lest they be considered (wrongdoers). Surah 14:26 describes the forbidden tree as an evil tree that is forbidden for guidance. Surah Al-A'raf 7:22 describes the }} (Satan) who misled them with deception, and then it was who initiated eating from the forbidden tree. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame became manifest to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called out to them: "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you; Verily, Shaitân is an open enemy unto you?" ( ). The holds both Adam and his wife accountable for eating the forbidden fruit. As punishment, they were forced to leave the garden, banished from and sent to the Earth where they were forgiven after repenting. The fruit is commonly either identified with wheat or with grapevine in Islamic tradition. References Category:Mythology